Phuket News
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Phuket baby elephant DNA test results to be announced
PHUKET: The long-awaited DNA test results of three baby elephants seized from elephant camps in Phuket will be revealed next week, the Phuket Gazette was told today. The three elephants were seized in February from the ATV @ Hill Adventure Tour camp on the road to the Big Buddha image in Chalong; the Elephant Camp at the Laguna complex in…
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Chinese punt for Phuket consulate as tourist arrivals skyrocket
PHUKET: The dramatic increase in the number of Chinese tourists visiting Phuket in recent years is causing problems and has prompted Chinese officials to look into establishing a consulate on the island.Xu Mingliang, the People’s Republic of China Consul-General in Songkhla, Southern Thailand, was in Phuket yesterday to hear tour operators’ concerns firsthand and to discuss the issues with Phuket…
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Phuket beach toll rises as kitesurfing American dies
PHUKET: An American kitesurfer died en route to hospital after being pulled from the surf at Phuket’s Nai Harn Beach around noon today.The man, whose name has not been released to the press, had been kitesurfing earlier that morning. He was seen by beach vendors struggling in shallow water after heading back to shore.“We saw him floating in the shallow…
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Golfing Glory: Phuket boys team take top honors
PHUKET: Phuket can claim bragging rights to having the best young golfers in the country after a foursome of island youths took the gold in the boys’ golf team event at Phuket Country Club today. The team of Wacharathorn Jeerapatsin, Sarawuth Boodnongsaeng, Waikun Gatehom and Phantamitr Wananuphat won the gold, with Wacharathorn also taking a bronze in the singles event.At…
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Two injured in Phuket pickup crash
PHUKET: Two men out enjoying Phuket nightlife were injured, one seriously, when their pickup slammed into a power pole before dawn today. Thalang Police at 1:55am were notified of an accident on Thepkrasattri Road inbound near the Karn Keha Public Housing Estate U-turn in Srisoonthorn subdistrict, Thalang. Arriving at the scene with Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers, police found the extended…
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Tragedy strikes Phuket Games as athlete dies in motorbike accident
PHUKET: A young athlete from Bangkok, scheduled to return home after competing in the Phuket Games rowing competition, died in a tragic motorbike accident in Rawai this morning. Chalong Police confirmed the identity of the victim as Sutthipong Laphutama, aged 18. The driver of the motorbike, 13-year-old Atthapong Noikhamsin, was rushed to hospital for treatment of serious injuries. The driver…
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Russian drowns in notorious Phuket rip
PHUKET: A Russian man who ignored red warning flags at Karon Beach is Phuket’s latest drowning victim. Uten Singsom, head lifeguard at Kata-Karon, told the Phuket Gazette that the 33-year-old entered the surf near the Thavorn Palm Beach Resort at about 1pm yesterday. The deceased was later identified as Denis Korobogatov. “He and his two Russian friends came from Patong.…
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Phuket’s Burmese community ‘delighted’ with Suu Kyi visit
PHUKET: Aung San Suu Kyi, the famed Burmese pro-democracy leader, arrived in Bangkok on Tuesday night on her first international trip in 24 years. As reported in The Nation, Thailand was a perfect destination for the woman who spent 15 years under house arrest, as it would give her a chance to meet many people from Myanmar, including some of…
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Go Team: Phuket swipes second gold in “Go’
PHUKET: Phuket girls Bussarin Raktaengam, Worakluck Kritsachaikan, Sudaphat Khongkaew and Pichakon Kankanok yesterday defeated their Nakhon Ratchasima opponents to win gold in the soft tennis event at the 28th Thailand National Youth Games being held in Phuket.The foursome join the boy’s doubles team of Krit Jamkhajonkiet and Panode Kingtkaew as so far the only Phuket competitors to win gold at…
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One sting reported from flood of ‘bluebottles’ at Phuket beaches
PHUKET: Phuket lifeguards at Kata and Karon beaches so far have reported only one person being stung by the bluebottle jellyfish that washed ashore in droves yesterday.More than 100 of the “stingers” washed ashore at Kata and Karon beaches, confirmed Uten Singsom, head lifeguard at Kata-Karon patrol unit on Phuket’s southwest coast.He also received reports that some were found on…
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Evason Phuket opens books to prove “no capacity to pay’
PHUKET: At a closed meeting today, representatives from the Evason Phuket & Bon Island resort revealed financial statements to prove that the resort company does not have the capacity to pay for demands made by workers summarily dismissed last Tuesday. “The Human Resource Manager and the Accounting Manager from the resort are here today to present financial statements from their…
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Phuket yellow shirts bus to Bangkok to join protest
PHUKET: Phuket members of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), also known as the yellow shirts, piled into three buses headed to Bangkok this afternoon to join their PAD counterparts in protest. The PAD will stage a mass rally in the capital tomorrow to protest the reconciliation bill and other bills designed to expunge post-coup court verdicts and offer general…
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Phuket tourism takes a hit over “Trashing Racha’
PHUKET: The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) has been forced to start taking steps to redress the growing concerns voiced in Phuket about the environmental destruction of Koh Racha Yai by negligent tour operators and tourism business owners.The news comes after a leading figure in local environmental conservation blasted greedy tourism operators and the lax enforcement of environmental…
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Help sought for morbidly obese woman in Krabi
PHUKET: The elderly mother of a morbidly obese woman in Krabi province is seeking assistance to get her daughter the medical help and living assistance they need to survive. Wanphen Pimsri, 32, started having serious medical problems as a teen. At age 18, she underwent brain surgery for a hormonal imbalance at Songklanagarind Hospital in Haad Yai, the top government…
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Man killed by 6-wheeled truck in Phuket rush hour
PHUKET: A man believed to have been drunk was struck dead by a six-wheeled truck on Phuket’s busy Thepkrasattri Road at about 6pm today.Witnesses told the Phuket Gazette that the man was first seen slowing drivers down on the northbound lanes near the u-turn about 50 meters south of the Tah Reua Chinese Shrine.The man motioned drivers to stop then…
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Phuket wins first medal in 28th Youth Games
PHUKET: Phuket finally bagged its first medal in the 2012 Thailand National Youth Games earlier today, when its cycling team took the bronze in the 70-kilometer road event in Thalang. Teammates Assadeawut Somnam, Suponchai Bangthong, Thaikhom Chittamat and Apiwat Piromrit used tight formation tactics to cut through the gusty monsoon winds to complete the circuit in 1 hour 46 minutes…
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Phuket lifeguards return to beaches
PHUKET: Fully equipped lifeguards are now back on duty at Phuket beaches, ready to rescue swimmers who get into difficulty during the currently treacherous weather. Uten Singsom, head of the Phuket Lifeguard Club unit at Kata-Karon, told the Gazette, “This year we are going to have a new uniform and new flags. Both will be ready next week. Last year…
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Phuket motorcade to honor expat “Scotty’
PHUKET: The many friends of Brian Alexander McCormick-Kid, better known as “Scotty”, will hold a motorcycle procession from Phuket Town to Rawai on Wednesday to honor the long-term Phuket expat. Born in Glasgow 57 years ago, Scotty had lived in Thailand for 15 years. Well known especially among the biker community, he died this week after a courageous battle with…
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Phuket sports: Yes, it’s a game
PHUKET: AT LAST, the 28th National Youth Games has finally arrived. Never before has Phuket been privileged to host such a large and significant sporting event. Hundreds of athletes will compete in 40 sports and games, with thousands more coming to cheer them on. Apart from the usual sports spectators expect to see there will also be a number of…
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Phuket sports: Boxing battle on Patong Beach
PHUKET: WBC Asia Continental Super Flyweight (115 pounds) champion Petchbangborn Sor Tanapinyo will defend his title in the main bout of a major fighting event to be held at Patong Beach tomorrow (May 29). The Thai champ takes on Indonesian challenger Alwi Alhabsyi at the peak of the Boxing and Muay Thai event dubbed “Suk Poon Insee Sataan Lok“, or…
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Wet monsoon blast warning for Phuket, Andaman coast
PHUKET: The 24-hour forecast, issued by the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) issued at noon today, predicts waves as high as four meters along Phuket beaches, as well as strong winds. The southwesterly monsoon winds are expected to reach speeds of up to 45 kilometers per hour. The TMD also issued a flash-flood warning at 4am today and advises all small…
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Phuket Games visitors get surf danger warning
PHUKET: Officials are warning visiting athletes and others arriving for the Phuket Games 2012 to stay out of the water at island beaches, where dangerous riptides and heavy surf claim the lives of scores of overconfident swimmers each year. The initial warning came on Friday morning during a meeting of Phuket Games 2012 management council at the Royal Phuket City…
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Phuket worker hurt as tree crashes onto moving vehicle
PHUKET: A Phuket construction worker was injured late yesterday morning when a tree crashed down onto the cab of the pickup truck he was riding in on the coastal road from Patong to Kamala. Kamala Police were notified of the accident, near the access road to the Thavorn Beach Village Spa at 11:15am. Arriving at the scene with Ruamjai Katanyu…
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Poll: English in the Phuket tourism industry
Phuket is among the best-known international tourist destinations in Asia. As such, the new Phuket Gazette polls asks readers to assess the overall English-language ability of local people working in the tourism industry here. To have your say in Phuket’s most popular poll click here. If you have already voted and want to view the latest results click here. If…
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Update: Phuket resort worker denies rape of German tourist
PHUKET: All official sources in Phuket involved in the case of an alleged rape of a German tourist by a Thai resort worker have unequivocally stated that the accused has not confessed to the charge. Sakchai Thongseedam, charged with raping the unnamed German tourist on May 17 at the Centara Karon Resort Phuket resort, has denied the police allegation. The…
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Phuket bound bus slammed by truck, 12 injured
PHUKET: Twelve people were injured when a bus bound for Phuket from Haad Yai crashed with a pickup truck in Phattalung Province in rainy conditions on Thursday night. Na Kayad District Police were notified of a crash on the Asia Highway in Kwan Kanoon District, Phatthalung Province, at about 10pm. Police led by Lt Wittaya Sutthirak arrived at the scene…
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Phuket defense volunteer injured in hit-and-run
PHUKET: A young woman was badly injured in a hit-and-run collision with a passenger van near Phuket’s Heroines’ Monument late last night. The victim, 23-year-old Somying Samart, was riding home from her job as a civil defense volunteer in Muang District at about 11:30pm when the accident occurred, on Srisoonthorn Road westbound in Srisoonthorn subdistrict. As Acting Sub Lt Somying…
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Phuket Police warn of counterfeit Thai banknotes
PHUKET: Police in Phuket are urging the public to check carefully any banknotes they receive, as there have been reports of counterfeit bills being passed across the south of Thailand. The first reported case took place on Tuesday when a fried chicken vendor used a bogus 1,000 baht note to purchase items at a 7-Eleven convenience store in Haad Yai,…
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Phuket Games 2012 prepared to open as monsoon winds blow
PHUKET: It’s all systems go for the Thailand National Youth Games 2012, which will officially open with an extravaganza today at Surakul Stadium in Phuket Town. The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) held its final rehearsal for the opening ceremony at the stadium, which underwent a major renovation including new spotlights for the event. OrBorJor President Paiboon Upatising, who attended…
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Phuket Poll: Underpass project will worsen traffic
PHUKET: Results of the latest online poll reveal that a majority of Phuket Gazette readers are pessimistic about the 450mn baht underpass to be built at the Bang Khu Intersection in Koh Kaew. By a wide majority, readers in all three demographic groups thought the project would worsen traffic flow in the area rather than improve it. The poll, launched…
Phuket is a province in the south of Thailand. Phuket's beaches face the Andaman Sea allowing the west coast beaches fantastic sunsets right throughout the year. If you're looking for news in Phuket, go to thethaiger.com/phuket Or follow our instant news in our Facebook pages.
The good news is that Phuket is famous for its foodie scene with an enormously diverse range of local and international foods - Phuket and southern favorites, street food along with international choices catering for the 12 million visitors to the island each year. Thaiger follows Phuket news and information 24 hours a day with regular updates.
Phuket is only 'just' an island with a 300 metre bridge linking it to Thailand's mainland. We're always reporting in the news that the channel beneath is frequently dredged to maintain Phuket's status as an island. On the other side of Sarasin Bridge is the Province of Phang Nga.
Getting to Phuket is easy as the island has land, air and sea connections. Phuket is also used as a take-off point for local island trips as Thailand's largest island is surrounded by over 30 pristine islands. Koh Phi Phi and the famous Maya Bay are always in the news and would be the best known of the island's just off Phuket's shores.
Phuket is an island and a province. It's the largest island in Thailand – 48 km north to south, 21 km east to west.
It's about 20% smaller, in area, than Singapore but much less densely populated. Whilst the island nation of Singapore boasts a population of nearly 6 million, Phuket has a permanent population of around 400-450,000 (but varies a lot with the influx of tourists and a workforce that is always changing). Most of Phuket remains jungle and tropical rainforest despite an acceleration of development over the past 20 years.
Unlike some of Thailand's other popular islands (that are in the Gulf of Thailand), the news is that Phuket is located in the Andaman Sea.
Phuket is 878 km north of the equator.
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